CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION OF ISLAMIC TEACHERS: I 271

POLITICAL DYNAMICS BETWEEN COUNTRY AND EDUCATION

CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION OF
ISLAMIC TEACHERS:
POLITICAL DYNAMICS BETWEEN
COUNTRY AND EDUCATION

Miftakhul Ilmi Suwignya Putra

Abstract
This article discusses the dynamics of contemporary Islamic education. The goal
of Islamic education is to provide human resources based on Islamic values and
in accordance with the spirit of Islam. The methods of education and instruction
should also be designed to achieve the goal. Any methodology that is not
oriented towards achieving the goal will certainly be avoided. Thus, Islamic
education is not merely transfer of knowledge, but whether the science given
can change attitudes. Within this framework, intensive monitoring should be
done by society, including government (state), towards learners' behaviors. The
next step is realizing it so that necessary education and curriculum programs
are harmonious and sustainable. Islamic higher education institutions should be
self-evident and transform themselves to meet the challenges of increasingly
competitive and complex era. Islamic universities are considered not marketable
anymore in facing global competition. Contemporary education must adjust
with the recent technological developments. For that reason, it is necessary to
develop an education system with global perspective in order to produce output
from higher quality educational institutions, so that they are confident in facing
global competition, and put forward interdisciplinary method interconnectedly.

Keywords: Education, Islamic Teachers, Contemporary Period, Political

Dynamics

‫ملخص‬

‫ تهدف التربية اإلسالمية إلى بناء‬.‫يتناول هذا البحث الحديث عن ديناميكية التربية اإلسالمية في العصر الحاضر‬
‫ والبد من تخطيط طريقة التربية والتعليم‬.‫الموارد البشرية التي تتخلق باألخالق الكريمة الموافقة لروح اإلسالم‬


Universitas Pesantren Tinggi Darul Ulum (Unipdu) Jombang email: mifta.unipdu@gmail.com

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272 I Miftakhul Ilmi Suwignya Putra

‫ فإن التربية اإلسالمية‬،‫ فلهذا‬.‫ وكل الطريقة التي ال تعتمد على تحقيق الهدف ال بد من اجتنابها‬.‫لتحقيق هذا الهدف‬
‫ نحتاج إلى‬،‫ من أجل ذلك‬.‫ وإنما تهتم بمدى تأثيرتلك المعلومات في السلوك أم ال‬،‫التهدف إلى نقل المعلومات فقط‬
‫ هل يتفق مع تعاليم‬،‫ تجاه سلوك الطالب والطالبات‬،‫ ومن ذلك الحكومة‬،‫المراقبة المكثفة من جميع طبقات المجتمع‬
‫ فلهذا نحتاج إلى الطريقة التربوية‬،‫ والخطوة التالية هي تطبيق تلك الطريقة‬.‫اإلسالم المتعلقة بالحياة وقيمه أم ال‬
‫ البد للجامعات اإلسالمية أن تقوم بإصالح الذات والتحول‬.‫والمنهج المتسقة مع الهدف السابق وذات استمرارية‬
‫ و تعتبر الجامعات اإلسالمية غير قابلة للتسويق في‬.‫لمواجهة تقلبات العصر المليئة بالتنافس والمعوقات المجمعة‬
‫ فلهذا ينبغي أن نقوم‬،‫ فالتعليم والعصري يجب أن يتعايش مع تطور الزمان والتكنولوجيا‬.‫مواجهة التنافس الدولي‬
‫بتطوير نظام التعليم على مستوى عالمي حتى يتخرج في هذه الجامعات الخريجون المتفوقون وتصبح هذه الجامعات‬
‫ ويتفضل أن تستخدم هذه الجامعات طريقة متعدد‬،‫ وذات ثقة بالنفس تجاه التنافس الدولي‬،‫جامعات متقدمة‬
‫ فلهذا البد من تطوير‬.‫ والتربية العصرية البد أن توافق مع التطور الزمني والتكنولوجيا‬.‫التخصصات ومتعدد الترابط‬
،‫نظام التربية ذات الثقافة الواسعة حتى تصدر المتخرجين الممتازين واثقين بأنفسهم في مواجهة التنافس الدولي‬
.‫ويفضلون منهج متعدد التخصصات ومتعدد الترابط‬

‫ تقلبات السياسة‬،‫ العصر الحاضر‬،‫ مدرس الدراسات اإلسالمية‬،‫ التربية‬: ‫مفتاح الكلمات‬

Abstrak

Artikel ini membahas tentang dinamika pendidkan Islam di masa kontemporer.

Tujuan pendidikan Islam adalah menciptakan SDM yang berkepribadian Islami
berdasarkan nilai-nilai Islam serta sesuai dengan ruh dan nafas Islam. Metode
pendidikan dan pengajarannya juga harus dirancang untuk mencapai tujuan
tersebut. Setiap metodologi yang tidak berorientasi pada tercapainya tujuan
tersebut tentu akan dihindarkan. Jadi, pendidikan Islam bukan semata-mata
melakukan transfer of knowledge, tetapi memperhatikan apakah ilmu
pengetahuan yang diberikan itu dapat mengubah sikap atau tidak. Dalam
kerangka ini, diperlukan monitoring yang intensif oleh seluruh lapisan
masyarakat, termasuk pemerintah (negara), terhadap perilaku peserta didik,
sejauh mana mereka terikat dengan konsepsi-konsepsi Islam berkenaan dengan
kehidupan dan nilai-nilainya. Rangkaian selanjutnya adalah tahap
merealisasikannya sehingga dibutuhkan program pendidikan dan kurikulum
yang selaras, serasi, dan berkesinambungan dengan tujuan di atas. lembaga
pendidikan tinggi Islam harus berbena diri dan melakukan transformasi untuk
menjawab tantangan zaman yang semakin kompetitif dan kompleks. Perguruan
tinggi Islam dianggap tidak marketable lagi dalam menghadapi persaingan
global. Pendidikan kontemporer harus menyesuaikan perkembangan zaman
dan perkembangan teknologi. Untuk itu perlu dilakukan pengembangan sistem
pendidikan yang berwawasan global agar menghasilkan output dari lembaga
pendidikan yang lebih bermutu, supaya mereka percaya diri dalam
menghadapi persaingan global, dan mengedepankan metode interdisipliner,
interkonektifitas.

Kata Kunci: Pendidikan, Guru Agama Islam, Masa Kontemporer, Dinamika Politik

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POLITICAL DYNAMICS BETWEEN COUNTRY AND EDUCATION

Introduction
Education and politics, practically theoretically, cannot be separated
from one another, because politics itself can produce a policy. The success of
education can produce future generations who are honest and trustworthy that
will eventually create qualified politicians. Therefore, there is no longer
corruption, collusion and nepotism. The dynamics of the development of
Islamic education is a logical consequence of the development of Islamic
thought itself. In Islam, there are two patterns of thinking: traditional and
rational.1
In developing the quality of contemporary education, there are some
notes that need attention. First, education is increasingly required to produce
qualified learders. Second, in the perspective of workforce, the orientation to the
real ability (what one can do) is shown by good education graduates. Third, as
the impact of globalization, the quality of education of a community is not only
measured based on internal criteria but also must be compared with the quality
of education of other communities. Finally, as a religious society, the expected
education should also be able to instill the Islamic character (piety, modesty,
patience, courage, wisdom and so on).
It is true that Islamic education as a discipline is not yet rapidly
developed compared to other areas of Islamic studies. 2 Given the wide field of
study covered by Islamic education, this paper focuses more on the issues of
Islamic education that took place in the reform era (perhaps even post-reform)
by of course not ignoring the issues of Islamic education that occurred before
the reforms era, such as those associated with the ups and downs of the long
history of Islamic education.
One of the issues is the image of Islamic Higher Education. During this
time, the condition of Islamic Higher Education, until the end of the second
millennium has always been considered as a "second class" educational
institution that not only has no competitiveness, but also not marketable. This is
characterized, for example, by the decrease of prospective students entering this
type of higher education institution. Abuddin Nata wrote that until 2005 the
condition of Islamic universities under the Ministry of Religion such as IAIN
(State Islamic Institute) has not been fully considered parallel to the General
College under the Ministry of National Education (now Ministry of Education

1 Muhammad Syamsul Hadi, “Pendidikan Islam Dalam Dinamika Gerakan Islam Kontemporer: Rekonstruksi
Pendidikan Pesantren dan Neo-Modernis”, Didaktika Religia Volume 3, No. 2, 2015, 104.
2 see Abuddin Nata, Tokoh-tokoh Pembaruan Pendidikan Islam di Indonesia (Jakarta: Raja Grafindo Persada,
2005), vi.

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and Culture). Graduates of Islamic Higher Education still have limited

opportunities in entering the work field caused by the scope of expertise it
possesses, namely only the science of Islam. 3 This fact makes the stakeholders of
Islamic religious colleges worried.
In order to understand the position of Islamic education in the midst of
the spirit of national education reform, it is necessary to see the meaning and
role of Islamic education in the life of Indonesian society. Similarly, to find a
new paradigm of Islamic education should start from the existence of Islamic
education in the history of national and state life. Therefore, in digging the noble
values that exist in Islamic education must be honest and precise in determining
the position, function and role of Islamic education in Indonesian society today.
4

The contemporary issues of education in Indonesia today are numerous.

Contemporary means current, modern or something similar to the current
conditions. So the contemporary issue of education according to the author is
the issues related to the education world that is not bound by the rules of the
past, and developed according to the present. One of the contemporary issues of
education in Indonesia is "Commercialization of Education".
The dynamics of Islamic education in this country can be described
briefly from before to post-reform. Afterwards, it is revealed how the
transformation of Islamic education is more focused on renewal of
epistemological thinking, institutional, and educational issues, such as ideal
teacher versus fraud committed by teachers in the implementation of national
examinations. For teachers, teaching is the main activity. Therefore, they
deserve to be called teachers, because there is transfer of knowledge to students.
By teaching others, science will never run out, but it is more dynamic,
progressive, and productive. This is where the great position of a teacher.
Therefore, it is the teacher's duty to study the various methods and theories of
learning in order to teach effectively and efficiently. Learning becomes a key
word in improving the quality of education in this country. 5

3Ibid., 392.
4 That is why the idea of converting Islamic higher education institutions, such as STAIN and IAIN, into a
university is necessiry for Muslims to align themselves with public universities whose fields of science are
more widespread and marketable in society. This became apparent after IAIN Jakarta metamorphosed into
UIN Jakarta through Presidential Decree No. 031 dated May 20, 2002 on Amendment of IAIN Syarif
Hidayatullah Jakarta to UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. See http://www.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/about-
uin.html.
5 Jamal Ma’mur Asmani, 7 Tips Aplikasi Pakem; Menciptakan Metode Pembelajaran yang Efektif dan

Berkualitas (Yogyakarta: DIVA Press, 2011), 17.

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Role of Politics and State on Islamic Education

Politics has a very significant role to the development of education in
Indonesia; every development of education is supervised by the local
government as set forth in article 59 paragraph 1, regarding the evaluation of
the manager, unit, department, level and type of education. In that article the
local government conducts supervision and evaluation of the education unit. 6
Similarly, education in pesantren with the label of modern boarding
school that has alumni in elite top political office, government assistance to
build buildings and other equipment is then very easy. Recognition from the
public is good enough to the education taught by the boarding school that can
graduate the alumni into the big people in the country. Thus, if there is one
Islamic boarding school or general school that is not developed, it is one of the
effects of government political policy that still need some improvement on
various sides. Yusuf in a study published in al-Murobbi journal says:

Nevertheless, all these changes did not remove the pesantren from its
cultural roots. In general pesantren still has functions as: (1) Educational
institutions that transfer the religious sciences (tafaqquh fi addin) and
Islamic values (Islamic values). (2) Religious institutions that exercise social
control. (3) Religious institutions that conduct social engineering. The
different types of pesantren above only affect the form of actualization of
these roles. While the form of integration made by modern pesantren is an
effort to maintain the existence and role of pesantren in helping educate the
community. 7

Politics became vital in the development of education in Indonesia.

Before the New Order era, many Islamic schools were founded by social
organization. Nahdatul Ulama has educational institutions of elementary
school, while Muhammadiyah has educational institutions of SD up to college
and some other political organizations that have Islamic schools.
This nation politics has penetrated the various fields in the country. One
of them is the field of Islamic education through several organizations of Islamic
parties that teach love towards the homeland with the foundation of a hadith
about the State. So, love towards the homeland in fighting against colonialism is

6 Some educational institutions, such as public schools and Islamic schools, have been provided with School
Operational Assistance (Bantuan Operasional Sekolah or BOS) since 2009 to primary or junior high schools,
as well as Junior High Schools / equivalent. Department of Education and Culture, Panduan Bantuan
Oprasional Sekolah (BOS) (Jakarta: Depertemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, 2010), 59.
7 M. Yusuf, “Dinamika Integrasi Pesantren dan Sekolah Dalam Pendidikan Kontemporer di Indonesia”, Jurnal

al-Murobbi Volume 3, No. 2, January 2017, 187.

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as of the faith. Pancasila as the foundation of the State of Indonesia is one of the
symbols of the State which already has aspects of special faith for Islamic
education, where Islamic education must be convinced and believe that God is
one God no god but God. Faith and piety have the most important element in
the goal of Islamic religious education.
Someone will be good if he understands his religion. This Islamic
education becomes an important role to change the behavior of learners through
pesantren based on Al-Qur'an and As-Sunah to form human beings who have
good character intelligence, because this institution in addition to teaching the
cognitive aspect also educates students to be human being who cautious or
penetrated on affective and psychomotor aspects.

Relations between Politics and Education

Education and politics are two important elements in the socio-political
system of a state. Although education and politics plays as two important
elements in the socio-political system, they are often studied separately. Of
course this is not appropriate because education and politics should be hand in
hand in the process of forming the characters of society. Moreover, they
mutually support and complement each other.
Educational institutions and processes play an important role in shaping
the political behavior of society so that it brings a huge impact on the
characteristics of education. This means that there is a close and dynamic
relationship between education and politics. The relationship is an empirical
reality that has occurred since the beginning of the development of human
civilization and they become the attention of scientists. A clear picture of the
linkage between education and politics can be traced in the Islamic world,
where the history of Islamic civilization is marked by the sincerity of ulama and
umara in observing the issue of education as an effort to strengthen the socio-
political position of the group and its followers. Political institutions also
colored the education. Educational institutions are one of the political
constellations. The role played by mosques and madrasas in strengthening the
political power of the rulers can be seen in history. On the other hand, the
reliance on the power of the rulers economically makes the institution in line
with the prevailing political nuances. Islamic educational institutions that
became the spoke person of political messages, according to Rashid is a
Nizhamiyah madrasah in Baghdad. 8

8 The Nizhamiyah Madrasah was founded by the rulers of Bani Saljuk, Nizham Al-Mulk, a prime minister of
Alp Arselan and Malik Shah In the year 457 H, half a century after the founding of Al-Azhar University in
Cairo. The famous Saljuks are very fanatical towards the Sunni school. Nizhamiyya madrasah was
established in every city in Iraq and Khurasan, to erode the ideology of Zaidiyah syi'ah developed by earlier

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POLITICAL DYNAMICS BETWEEN COUNTRY AND EDUCATION

The above quotation confirms that the relationship between politics and
education in Islam is so closed. The development of educational activities is
heavily influenced by the rulers and the rulers need the support of educational
institutions to justify and maintain their power. This is understandable because
the aim of the Islamic government is "to uphold truth and justice. That goal
cannot be achieved except by implementing the Shari'ah. Shari'ah will not work
if people do not understand the teachings of Islam".9
In addition to religious factors that the Islamic religion is very
upholding educational activities, the attention of Islamic leaders to the issue of
education is driven by the large role of educational institutions in the delivery of
political missions. Education is often used as media to instill state ideology.
Sjalabi noted that the Khalifah Al-Makmun politicized the Munazharah
assembly in order to spread Mu'tazilah as the official mazab of the country at
that time through the inquisition incident, ie the investigation or interrogation
(Al-Mihna) against the scholars and important officials. 10 They are asked
whether the Quran is Qadim or Hadith through the inquisition of the ulama.
The pillars of the institution of education and the development of science are
indirectly forced to accept the Mu'tazilah, the official ideology of the ruler.
Islamic education is not only meritorious to produce militant fighters in
expanding political maps, but also scholars who have succeeded in building a
law-conscious society. Along with the expansion of political maps and the
increase of Islam, there is also the development of educational institutions in
number and variety. In Islamic history it is noted that the first educational
center that emerged was the house of Arqam Ibn Abi Arqam, i.e, when the

Buwaih dynasties and in order to block the Islamic ideology propagated by the Fatimid dynasty in Egypt. In
addition, the aim of the establishment of a madrasah by Nizham Al-Mulk is to print the bureaucrats who
will occupy the state post, or at least, through the institution will be born citizens who understand the
values adopted by the government. In short, the Nizhamiyah madrassa is an instrument of political policy,
one of its main functions is to instill a state dktrin that reinforces the kingdom. Patronage Nizam Al-Mulk
deals not only with financial issues and the procurement of facilities, but also the curriculum and position
of "professorship", professors. He concludes from the analysis of the case of the Nizhamiyah madrasah as
follows: "The political position in Islam is as important as education, without political authority, the Islamic
Shari'ah is difficult even impossible to uphold, power is a means to defend the syiar of Islam, education
moves in an effort to awaken the people to run the shari'ah, the people will not understand the shari'ah
without education, if the politics (power) protect from above, then education to reform through the
downstream ".
9 In the period of Mecca, the house of Arqam Ibn Abi Arqam served as the first educational institution in a

simple form, in which the prophet taught his companions. In the Medina period, educational activities
centered on mosques. In that period the Caliph Umar Ibn Khattab ordered Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari for each
tribe to establish a mosque to expand the network of Islamic education. The Umayyad caliphs, both in
Damascus and in Spain, were instrumental in establishing the horizon of Islamic education.
10 When viewed from the side of aqidah, inquisisi is an attempt to purify the public view. For the Mu'tazilites,

the Qur'an is Qadim is a kafir because that is why one has made the Qadim two. Kufr is to be removed from
the view of the Muslims. State officials and scholars who say that Qadim Quran should be removed, because
they are among the pagans.

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Prophet was in Mecca. 11 Furthermore, during the Umayyad period, the

institutions of Islamic education have been more varied with the birth of
Kuttab12 and made the royal houses as a place of learning.
Rasyid concluded that the rulers of Islam are always directly involved in
the issue of education. Firstly, since Islam is a totalitarian religion, it
encompasses all aspects of a Muslim's life from eating and drinking, household
procedures, social affairs, to worship, all governed by shari'ah. Secondly,
because of political motivation, political and religious causes are difficult to be
separated in Islam. 13

Islamic Education in Indonesia

In its long history, the existence of Islamic education often has to deal
with the state. That is, the government's political policy on Islamic education
could be less conducive. Islamic education then received considerable attention
after the Law of the Republic of Indonesia no. 2 of 1989 on the National
Education System and further reinforced by the Law of the Republic of
Indonesia no. 20 of 2003 on National Education System. 14 The last legislation is
clearly felt stronger that the government recognizes the existence of various
Islamic educational institutions, ranging from kindergarten to tertiary
education. However, the more normative acknowledgment of the government is
still considered unequal in term of allocation of education funds to educational

11 In the Mecca period educational centers were focused on mosques. The first mosque was the Quba mosque.
In this mosque is held learning circles (Halaqah) as in the mosque of the Prophet in Mirbad Medina. To
support the process of education and teaching in this mosque, then built al-Suffah (kind of porch). In Al-
Suffah this Prophet gave a lesson to his companions and trained some of them to become teachers who
were able to teach different lessons. Among the friends trained in Al-Suffah are Abu Abdullah Ibnu
Rowahah, Ubadah Ibn Shamit, and Abu Ubaidah Ibn Jarrah ".
12 Kuttab, according to Al-Thibawi, was a phenomenon that developed in the early 8th century AD at the end

of the Umayyad rule. Kuttab serves as a small children's educational center, established to avoid them from
soiling the mosque.
13 In the study of philosophy, there is one figure who often talks about education, namely Plato; The

relationship of education and politics as expressed by Plato School is one aspect of life associated with
political institutions. He explained that every culture maintains control over education over elite groups
that are constantly in control of political, economic, religious and educational power. Plato describes a
dynamic relationship between educational activity and political activity. Both as if two sides of a coin,
cannot be separated. Plato's analysis has laid fundamentals for the study of political and educational
relationships among scientists, the interrelationship between education and politics can occur through
three aspects: group attitude, unemployment, and political role of scholars (According to Plato,
"Philosophers have supreme authority, intermediate-educated supervisors act as military and police forces,
and those who supply the country's economic needs place the lowest status among all. Education must be
carefully adjusted with system reproduction; the lower classes are educated to be obedient and convinced
by the political myths that their status is formed by natural causes; the poet should only describe a
commendable manner, the knowledge of alternative forms of society is carefully suppressed, except in the
very limited circle of the ruling elite ".
14 Undang-Undang Sistem Pendidikan Nasional (UU RI No. 2 Th. 1989) dan Peraturan Pelaksanaannya, cetakan

ketiga (Jakarta: Sinar Grafika, 1999); lihat juga Undang-Undang Rebublik Indonesia No. 20 Tahun 2003
tentang Sistem Pendidikan Nasional (SISDIKNAS) (Bandung: Citra Umbara, 2003).

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institutions under the Ministry of Religious Affairs compared to those under the
Ministry of National Education. 15
When viewed from the political policy of Indonesian government
education, the reality of Islamic education can be mapped into four periods,
namely: the political policy of the government during the pre-independence
period, the Old Order, the New Order, and the reformation. 16 This article will
only describe the characteristics of Islamic education in the fourth period or the
period of reform. This period is marked by the growing discourse of democracy.
As an example, it can be seen from the disappearance of various rules which are
considered very stifling the freedom of the students in doing various
creativities. They can design various programs according to the developing
aspirations. However, it must be admitted that there are still a number of
policies that have been implemented by the previous order which is not
completely deleted. The centralization of education as in the case of curriculum,
examination, accreditation, budget, and various other rules has not been much
different from that applied by the New Order government. 17
Overall, it can be said that Islamic education, throughout its history, has
always been marginalized in the past. Therefore, political will be required from
the government and the maximum effort of the Muslims themselves, especially
from the figures of Islamic education, to make the renewal of Islam, both in
terms of its scientific epistemology and its institutional without excluding the
educational components Other Islam, such as goals, curriculum, teaching
methodology, education personnel (teachers and lecturers), and management.

Renewal of Islamic Education Sciences

The standard scientific discipline (natural science, social sciences, and
the humanities) is considered necessary to place Islamic ethics which is the
source of the universal values of the Qur'an and the hadith of the Prophet to
animate the whole field of scholarship. This view becomes visible when viewed
from the side of the theory of social change better known as shifting paradigm,
which is a theory that explains that almost all types of science, both natural
sciences and social sciences, even religious sciences, always experience what is
called shifting paradigm. What is meant by shifting paradigm here is a shift in
the cluster of scientific thinking that allows the changes, shifts, repairs, re-
regulation, nasikh-mansukh, and refinement of the design of scientific

15 Azyumardi Azra, “Masalah dan Kebijakan Pendidikan Islam di Era Otonomi Daerah”, Paper, presented at
National Conference on Management Education at Hotel Indonesia, Jakarta, 8–10 August 2002, 1.
16 Abuddin Nata, Manajemen Pendidikan: Mengatasi Kelemahan Pendidikan Islam di Indonesia (Jakarta:

Prenada Media, 2003), 11.

17 Ibid., 20.

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epistemology. 18 That way, the effort to integrate the science of religion and
general science in an educational institution as a whole is not something taboo.
Integrating the science of religion and general science in the dynamics of
Islamic education is interpreted by Azyumardi Azra as an effort to provide an
understanding that basically the whole science is derived from Almighty God,
while the effort of enrichment and development of both is a manifestation of
worship. 19
Perhaps the decline of Islamic education is more due to the dichotomous
view of general science and the science of religion. However, Islam does nor
recoqnize the dichotomy. This view is in line with the word of God in QS al-
'Alaq / 96: 1-5, which explains that everything that is done should begin by
calling on the name of God, for this is the key, whether a work has a spiritual
spirit or not. Then God firmly says that He has taught man what he does not
know. Here God does not distinguish that what he teaches is the science of
religion or of the general sciences. Thus, it is understood that the origin of
science, both religious knowledge and general science, must come from one
source of God. That is, if Muslims want to advance Islamic education, then the
dichotomy of religion science and general science should be abandoned,
because it will bring decline for Muslims.

Institutional Reform of Islamic Education

As the times progressed, the needs of the community for education
became a matter that must be met by educational institutions. Included in this
case is the ability of Islamic education institutions to respond to the needs of the
community proportionally. Today there have been many reforms in educational
institutions. For example, Pondok Pesantren Lirboyo which is known for its
strong salafiy style, has tried to develop its institution. Transformation is done
quite significantly by reforming leadership patterns, learning methods, and the
development of more complex institutions from time to time. 20
Every academician needs to be aware of the common sense among
educational stakeholders that lectures at overseas colleges are easier, overseas
college graduates are more marketable in getting jobs, college courses at home
are more "difficult" because of the many irrelevant courses , and domestic
college graduates have difficulty getting jobs.

18 M. Amin Abdullah, Studi Agama: Normativitas atau Historisitas?, (Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar, 1996), 102.
19 Azyumardi Azra, “Integrasi Ilmu Agama dan Ilmu Umum: Gagasan dan Solusi”, Paper, presented at the
Studium General event at IAIN Alauddin Makassar, August 25, 2004, 2.
20 Mochamad Arif Faizin, “Transformasi Manajemen Pendidikan Pesantren Salafiyah Di Jawa Timur Studi

Kualitatif Di Pesantren Lirboyo Kediri”, Empirisma Volume 24, No. 2, 2015, 253.

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Therefore, Islamic higher education institutions must be self-

transcendent and transformed to meet the challenges of an increasingly
competitive and complex era. Islamic universities are considered not marketable
anymore in facing global competition. This may be due to the expansion of
general higher education which has received more attention from the
government than religious higher education. 21
UIN is the answer to the phenomenon, although not a few Muslims who
oppose it because it is considered to weaken the Islamic education itself. The
existence of a naqli foundation that confirms that both general science and
theology are derived from the One God, it is time for the Islamic education
institution to get serious attention, not only from the government, but also from
the Muslims themselves.
For that reason, perhaps it is necessary to positively acccept Suwito’s
inaugural profersorship speech that critical attitudes and / or dissatisfaction in
the education world is necessary because this attitude will be able to produce
new decisions or actions that are deemed to be able to overcome the problems
emerging. Because it involves life, then a new decision or action cannot be
considered final. 22 There can be no final decision that causes the world of
education to be stagnant let alone old-fashioned. This is probably what A. Malik
Fadjar calls "big dreams" that should be the obsession of all academics. Thus, the
obsession for STAIN and IAIN to be UIN must continue to be done because it is
proven that UIN status is more marketable. Moreover, Islamic educational
institutions at the level of pesantren also have open themselves to compromize
general sciences significantly.

Contemporary Issues in Education

Various educational issues, including Islamic education, can be
described as follows:
1. Teachers and Lecturers Act
The Teachers and Lecturers Act in December 2005 is intended to
improve education in Indonesia through the improvement of teachers and
lecturers. This law is required to encourage the improvement of the quality
of teachers and lecturers, including the protection of their professions and
welfare. 23 When Law Number 14 Year 2005 regarding the Teachers and

21 It is already familiar to the religious university community that the budget provided by the government to
finance IAIN throughout Indonesia is still less than the cost provided by the government for a public
college, for example, Hasanuddin University.
22 Suwito, “Pendidikan yang Memberdayakan”, Pidato Pengukuhan Guru Besar Sejarah Pemikiran dan

Pendidikan Islam, 24.

23 See “Undang-undang Guru Disahkan”, Harian KOMPAS, 7 December 2005, 12.

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Lecturers was signed, teachers and lecturers expect many to the government
to immediately make a Government Regulation governing the subject of
accreditation, certification, qualifications, benefits and others, so that this
Act is effective and beneficial for teachers and lecturers as well as to give
positive implications for education as a whole.
The government gives a ten-year period, starting from 2007, for
teachers to meet the requirements of certification of the educational
profession by having a bachelor's degree and passing the certification test. 24
This clause makes the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training in IAIN and
UIN become extraordinary busy because they have to implement the
program which becomes the implication of the Law on Teachers and
Lecturers. To facilitate prospective teachers and teachers, the Faculty of
Tarbiyah and Teacher perform provide various programs such as: PAIS
Teacher Improvement Program in School, Teacher Quality Improvement
Program RA / MI, Teacher Qualification Improvement Program RA / MI /
PAIS through Program Dual Mode System, PAIS Teachers Improvement
Program at School to Regular Graduate Level, and Non-PAI Teacher RA /
MI Qualification Upgrading Program.
Meanwhile, to certify PAI teachers and madrasah teachers, the Faculty
of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training are given various activities such as:
Portfolio Teacher Certification, Teacher Education Certification, Teacher
Teachers Certification, Teacher Competency Improvement, and the latest is
Teacher Professional Education Project (PPG) for one year.
Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher became the busiest faculty because of
its position as LPTK (Educational Institute for Education Personnel). This
affects the welfare of lecturers, not only to lecturers of the Faculty of
Tarbiyah and Teacher Training but also to a number of lecturers from other
faculties. However, a number of programs related to qualifying and the
Dual Mode System (DMS) need to be criticized. This program is indeed a
consequence of the Law No. 20 of 2003 on National Education System and
Law No. 14 of 2005 on Teachers and Lecturers, but in its implementation
many things are not in line with educational theories.
Teacher Upgrade Project with all its variants, although implemented
well, in fact the program is implemented with a minimalist format. For
educational people who understand the theories of learning will certainly

24 See “UU Guru dan Dosen: Diberi Waktu 10 Tahun Dapatkan Sertifikasi”, Harian MEDIA INDONESIA, 7
December 2005, 1.

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criticize the minimalist model, but this is the empirical reality of the nation's
education, especially if linked to Eastern Indonesia. 25

2. Ideal teachers and National Exam Fraud

Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training as Educational Institution
Education should ideally be able to produce educators with high intellectual
quality and applicative moral commitment. If not, then this nation will face
the reality of two categorization of teachers, namely moral teachers and
immoral teachers. The alumni of the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher should
be a good model of behavior for the environment in which they work.
A moral teacher is a teacher who holds honesty in every social
interaction. The honesty of a teacher will break other honesty and a teacher's
dishonesty will drag other dishonesty so it is very dangerous for learners,
because honesty values taught by his parents at home are different from the
honesty that prevails in school. In the last two years there has been a great
deal of fraud committed by teachers and even institutional schools when
national exams are held. The duties of the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher
Trainingare likely to be heavier because their products may be superior
generations, but they must enter and join an educational environment that
has been contaminated with a systemic evil conspiracy. 26

25 Learning is one of the determinants of whether or not graduates are produced by an education system.
Learning is like the heart of the educational process. Good learning tends to produce graduates with good
learning results as well, and vice versa. However, the reality of educational learning outcomes in Indonesia
is still considered less good. Most students have not been able to reach the ideal / optimal potential it has.
Therefore, there needs to be changes in the learning process that has been going on for so long. True
education is one indicator of a developed and modern country. Because education is a creater
candradimuka, the creator of the nation and the nation. A formidable, reliable and competitive generation is
born from a good educational and learning process. A good educational and learning process joins the
groundwork in applicable and applicable learning theories. Applicative that the theory of learning should
be practiced in the class. It is not just discourse, discourse and slogans that have no effect on the learning
process. There is a belief that the learning theory should be applicable in all situations, places, periods and
stages of the learning process. The learning process is not a static, but dynamic activity. Dynamics is
packaged in theories and approaches of learning. The theory and learning approach that allows one can
adapt and apply all forms of science to students. With the variety of theories and approaches used in the
learning process, it will provide greater possibilities for the success rate of the learning process. See, Jamal
Ma'mur Asmani, 7 Tips Aplikasi Pakem., 18
26 From the study of the Center for Policy Research, Balitbang Depdiknas of 12 high school which is

considered achievement spread in several provinces in Indonesia, achievement achieved by school

achievement is quite relief. The first indicator, SMU NEM achieves annually in rank 1, 2, or 3 at the
provincial level of the school location. NEM spans from 47.99 to 64.27. Approximately 81.2% of the average
NEM junior students (now returning to junior high or junior high) are accepted at high school achievers are
6.5 and above. Secondly, most high school teachers have a Bachelor's degree, only a few SMUs with some
S2, Bachelor or D3, even high school teachers. Thirdly, most high school achievers have good facilities and
infrastructures, such as large enough land, parking lot, sports field, playground or other type of activities,
classroom, laboratory, library, principal room, teachers room, TU room, aids in Physics, Biology,
Mathematics and various electronic equipment such as video, TV, tape-recorder, sound system in language
lab, computer device as learning media. Fourth, all high school teachers excel in composing the lesson units.

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Curriculum Problems
Curriculum is guiding instruction (direction & guidance) and should
also be able to occupy the role of an anticipatory tool that can predict the future.
27 The centralistic system is closely linked to the authoritarian lower-level

bureaucracy that impressed the "bottom" side to carry out all the "upper" side.
In such systems innovation and renewal will not appear. In the field of
curriculum this centralistic system also affects the output of education. Tilaar
mentions a centralized curriculum, the management of a controlled system from
above has resulted in the output of human robot education. In addition to the
centralized curriculum, there are also some criticisms of educational practice
with regard to the curriculum's fullness that the curriculum is overloaded. This
also affects the quality of education. Children are overloaded with subjects. 28
In its historical reality, the development of Islamic Education curriculum
underwent paradigm changes, although the previous paradigm was retained.
This can be observed from the following phenomena: (1) the change of the
emphasis on memorization and the memory of texts from the teachings of Islam,
as well as the mental-spiritual discipline as well as the influence of the Middle
East, to understanding the purpose of meaning and motivation of Islam to
achieve learning objectives of Islamic Education. (2) the change of the textual,
normative, and absolutist way of thinking to the historical, empirical, and
contextual way of thinking in understanding and explaining Islamic doctrines
and values.(3) The change from the pressure of the product or the outcome of
Islamic religious thought from the its predecessor to the process or methodology
so as to produce the product. (4) Changes in the pattern of curriculum
development of Islamic education which rely solely on the experts in selecting
and compiling the contents of the Islamic education curriculum towards the
wide involvement of experts, teachers, learners, the community to identify the
objectives of Islamic Education and the means of achieving it. 29

Approach / Learning Method

The role of teachers or lecturers is very significant in improving the
quality of student competence. In teaching, he must be able to generate potential
teachers, motivate through creative and contextual learning patterns (current

Implementation of teaching and learning activities include: intra and extracurricular. Teachers generally
convey material with a variety of methods including: lectures, questions, answers, discussions, simulations,
recitations, reading assignments in libraries, laboratory labs, and the use of other learning media.
27 Subandijah, Pengembangan dan Inovasi Kurikulum (Jakarta: Raja Grafindo Persada, 1996), 3.
28 Haidar Putra Daulay, Pendidikan Islam: Dalam Sistem Pendidikan Nasional di Indonesia (Jakarta: Kencana,

2004), 205-208
29 Muhaimin, Pengembangan Kurikulum Pendidikan Agama Islam di Sekolah, Madrasah, dan Perguruan

Tinggi (Jakarta: Raja Grafindo Persada, 2007), 11.

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context using appropriate technology). Such learning pattern will support the
achievement of excellent schools and the quality of graduates who are ready to
compete in the current development. Learning is the process of organizing
learning activities. In other words, learning is an effort to create a conducive
condition that is to generate effective learning activities among students. It
should be realized that the success of the learning process is not determined by
the method or procedure used, not the old or modern learning, nor the
conventional or progressive teaching. Everything is important but not a final
consideration, because it deals only with "tools" rather than "goals". The main
condition of learning is "outcome", and results are only a result of the "process".
This process determines the outcome. Meanwhile, another meaning of learning
is the process of interaction of learners with educators and learning resources in
a learning environment that includes teachers and students who exchange
information. 30
Students are not people without experience. Instead, they have millions
of diverse experiences. Therefore, even students in class must be critical to read
the reality of the class, and ready to criticize it. Starting from the ideal
conditions, we realize, until now many students still love to be taught with
conservative methods, such as lectures because it is more simple and no
challenge to think.

Professionalism and Quality of Human Resources

One of the major problems in Indonesian education since the New Order
era is the inadequate professionalism of teachers and educators. Quantitatively,
the number of teachers and other education personnel seems to be sufficient, but
the quality and professionalism still do not meet expectations. Many teachers
and education personnel are still unqualified, underqualified, and mismatch, so
they are not or less able to present and conduct a truly qualitative education. 31

Conclusion
From this article it can be concluded that in essence contemporary
education must adjust the development of the times and technology. To do that
is to develop an educational system with global point of view to produce output
(graduates) from higher quality educational institutions, so they are confident in
facing global competition, and put forward interdisciplinary method,

30Anis Fauzi, Rifyal Ahmad Lugowi, Pembelajaran Mikro; Suatu Konsep dan Aplikasi (Jakarta: Diadit Media,
2009), 8.
31Musthofa Rembangy, Pendidikan Transformatif: Pergulatan Kritis Merumuskan Pendidikan di Tengah

Pusaran Arus Globalisasi (Yogyakarta: Teras, 2010), 28.

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interconnectivity. The new paradigm unifies, not merely combines God's

revelation and the invention of the human mind (integralistic holistic sciences).
After Islamic universities, such as IAIN and STAIN are converted to
UIN, then the challenge of course is even greater. Therefore, to make Islamic
higher education to survive and competitive, it is necessary to continuously: 1)
enlighten the community that education is a shared responsibility; 2) make
people aware that education is an investment; and 3) building character
education that can prepare future learners with integrity of integrity honesty in
him.

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